Hagrid and the Riddle
by sans-retour
Summary: Hagrid's third and final year as a student at Hogwarts. Very different than what you think.


Disclaimer: I'm very poor, I don't own these characters, you no sue me, blah-blah.   
  
Hagrid and The Riddle  
  
Chapter 1: The Glorious Prefect   
  
September, 1942  
  
Primarily: a prefects badge is securely planted to his broad chest - it's always the first thing you see. It may catch your eye in all the seasons - it reflects off of the winters' snow, and the summer shine, the soft sunlight of the spring, and even the dimness of the fall clouds.   
  
A second thing: he glides smoothly down the hallways. His cloak flows swiftly behind him, making him look like some sort of dark, handsome, smooth super hero. His eyes, nose and mouth clearly read 'confidence.' He sometimes gives a smile - some say it's fake, some say it's not - and you think 'Hey, he saw me.' The feeling of almost famous flickers briefly and then fades away when he leaves. He is just that damn good. Everything about him is damned good.   
  
A third and final thing: If he's so beautiful, so damned good, so great, so misunderstood then why am I the only person who can see through him?   
  
It's the beginning of September. This will be the second year that I see that git hover smoothly down the hallway with his Silvery Prefects Badge, girls swimming after him, as if he were the finish line that they'll never reach, and they think it's too late to turn back anyway.   
  
It's the Sunday before classes start, and it smells cleanly of school excitement. Everyone rolls out their fresh rolls of parchment paper and their gleaming new satchels. Some have gotten new robes, even though you can grow into the blasted things. I had to. I have to get new robes every year. Dad used to call me a sunflower. He says I never stop growing. I think sunflowers look quite gawky and awkward, but they produce those good sunflower seeds that most everyone likes. When he says that, I think he's saying that about me: I may look gawky and awkward, but I can do good things. I want to make him proud, because I know he's watching me now.  
  
I walk into the Gryffindor common room. A few people glance at me for a second, and some of them wave halfheartedly. I stare at the floor. I think, 'they don't have to wave.' I think they just feel bad for me.   
  
A young girl with brown hair and hazel colored eyes trots up to me. I recognize her as Jaime Worthington, from one of the full-blooded wizard families.   
  
"I heard about your Dad" she says to me, softly. There's sincerity in her words, and that's why I like her so much. "I'm really sorry" she trails off, her words hanging in air for a second, slowly being converted to awkwardness.   
  
I nod, not wanting to make it worse with my awful, loud voice. I feel like the world's biggest git - I am the biggest git at Hogwarts, literally - especially when I'm in front of her.   
  
"If you need to talk about it" she trails off again.   
  
I shake my head.  
  
"Right," Jaime says awkwardly, and then leaves. She heads back over to a table with a guy, Herald Potter. He has very, very black hair and blue eyes. He's a bit of a troublemaker, but I have a very good feeling about him.   
  
I go over to the fire and stare a bit. Most students barely come up to the middle of the fire, but I can see the top, and I'm eye to eye with the portrait Godric Gryffindor.   
  
"Hello, Hagrid!" Godric says in a confident, swift voice to me. I think he has the voice of a radio personality.  
  
"Ello, Mr. Gryffindor," I say, too loudly again.   
  
"Good holidays?" he asks.   
  
"Yeh, quite," I say, not wanting to mention my father.   
  
"Good good. Did you hear the news about Grindelwald? Say's he's taking over parts of Eastern Europe. Good thing Hogwarts is the safest, and this House is the best!" he exclaims.   
  
"Um, righ'" is all I can mumble. "Well, bettah get settled in," I say.   
  
"Best of luck this year!" the portrait calls out to me as I head to my room.  
  
Even embarrassingly more than being 6'6" and thirteen, is the fact that I have a private room. My bed needs to be extra large - only Headmaster Dippet and some of the faculty know that I'm half giant and need large accommodations - and I need more room to store my clothes and other things. They also know how difficult it is for me to get along with the others.   
  
My items have already been brought up, probably by house elves. Everything is already neatly arranged, a large mirror and neat bed sheets. I give it a once over and head quickly outside, through way of the great hall.   
  
I don't even notice most of the people as I pass by; they are all blurs and colors, all unnamed. Small groups of Hufflepuffs happily chatting, smiling and hugging each other; Ravenclaws looking studious and clever as always, lugging a ton of books in their book satchels. Slytherins in corners together, probably scheming something - the only thing that seems to be missing from them is Their Prefect.   
  
I head to the great outdoors, the campus of Hogwarts stretching and rolling neatly out in front of me. Someone's obviously taken good care of the lawn while everyone was gone.   
  
To my right is The Forbidden Forest. The Forbidden Forest to me is like it's like that secret place that you find when you're seven years old that you think no one else has seen. It's the big chair that you curl up in and read a good book, it's the best mattress you've ever slept in, it's the room that you feel most comfortable in. The Forbidden Forest is all of this to me. It is the very fortress of Hogwarts, the fence, the thing that protects us all.   
  
Without even thinking, my long, thick legs are carrying me there. My heart starts to beat rapidly - I'm not even walking that fast, it's just the mere excitement of heading to the place that I feel most in place. The anticipation of three long boring summer months has finally brought me here. Here is home, this is home, this is right.   
  
I finally reach the forest. It's darker than most other forests are, the canopy like a discoloured green roof, hiding the sun. Some of it peeks through, and it's bright enough for me to see the man-made dirt path, which leads to the clearing my ultimate comfortable chair.   
  
Several forest creatures stare at me curiously, hiding behind trees. I can't help but to smile. They're all so cute, and timid. Each has a special place in my heart. They've become my friends. They're special and magical to me.   
  
Finally, closer to the clearing, I notice several spiders, and one very large, who refers to herself as Feragog. Feragog is perhaps my best friend, in all of the Forbidden Forest. She is both wise and beautiful, clever and quick witted. I love her.   
  
"Greetings, Rubeus," she says to me, crossing two of her legs. Hundreds of spiders are crawling and hanging from the trees. I notice that she looks a bit tired.   
  
"Feragog," I say, breathlessly.   
  
She seems to smile.   
  
"Been busy?" I say, looking at all of the spiders, who now seem to be almost teenaged.   
  
"Much so in fact, I'm about to give birth again" she says this with some softness in her voice. "Perhaps for the last time."  
  
"Las' time? Wha' do yer mean?" I ask. I don't feel awkward speaking with her. Even if I did, it wouldn't matter, because the only people around are hundreds of self-absorbed spiders.  
  
Feragog steps forward, coming closer to me. A beam of sunlight hits several of her eyes, making her look mysterious, but even more beautiful.  
  
"I'm getting old, Hagrid"   
  
"Ol'?" I ask. "Wha' do yeh mean, gettin' ol'? Why yer still as young as me Dad was, right?"   
  
"Ah, I heard about your father," she begins. "I'm sorry about that. Amongst ourselves, we say that death means a new beginning, and adds a new strength, Hagrid. As tough as things are now, they will get better in time. You will feel stronger, braver. You won't regret the day that you were ever placed in Gryffindor, nor will you question it again. I feel this time is soon Hagrid"   
  
Her beautiful song is starting to sound like that of a centaur. They're always going about, saying vague things that have no meaning to anyone until they happen. They're bright creatures, but a bit on the weird side.   
  
I can't help but to get a bit teary eyed at what she's saying. I can't imagine life without Feragog. She was the first creature in the Forbidden Forest I met, and she helped me to be accepted among the many.   
  
"Soon," she says, noticing my tears. "But not now."   
  
I nod dumbly and wipe my eyes.   
  
"If anything happens, do you promise to take care of my young?" she asks.   
  
I nod enthusiastically this time. "I'll do ever'thin' in me power, Feragog. Even if it means breakin' the rules!"   
  
"Nonsense," Feragog says, and then looks hesitant for some reason. "Well, just be careful."  
  
I can tell her song is about to end.  
  
"I need a nap, Mr. Hagrid. Do come and visit often"  
  
I smile, say my farewell, and then head back to Hogwarts.  
  
A/N - Please excuse my extremely poor attempts at an oxfordshire accent. I'm not making fun of English people, I promise.  
  
Also see: Not 100% sure when Hagrid's father died. I've heard it was in the middle of his second year - so I decided it was over the summer. If it's not, I can always change it later or add in a reason as to why people say things about it now. 


End file.
